Thursday 29 May 2014

Book ~ "The Chase" (2014) Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

From Goodreads ~ Internationally renowned thief and con artist Nicolas Fox is famous for running elaborate and daring scams. His greatest con of all: convincing the FBI to team him up with the only person who has ever caught him, and the only woman to ever capture his attention, Special Agent Kate O’Hare. 

Together they’ll go undercover to swindle and catch the world’s most wanted - and untouchable - criminals. Their newest target is Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff and the ruthless leader of a private security agency. Grove has stolen a rare Chinese artifact from the Smithsonian, a crime that will torpedo U.S. relations with China if it ever becomes public. Nick and Kate must work under the radar - and against the clock - to devise a plan to steal the piece back. 

Confronting Grove’s elite assassins, Nick and Kate rely on the skills f their ragtag crew, including a flamboyant actor, a Geek Squad techie and a band of AARP-card-carrying mercenaries led by none other than Kate’s dad. 

A daring heist and a deadly chase lead Nick and Kate from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, from the highlands of Scotland to the underbelly of Montreal. But it’ll take more than death threats, trained henchmen, sleepless nights, and the fate of a dynasty’s priceless heirloom to outsmart Fox and O’Hare. 

Nick Fox is on the FBI's top 10 wanted list ... Kate is an FBI agent on the hunt for Nick.  Unbeknownst to everyone but her boss and her dad, Nick and Kate are actually working together.  A rare artifact that has been at the Smithsonian is being returned to China ... except it was stolen 10 years ago by Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff, and a replica has been in its place.  Nick and Kate must steal the real artifact from Carter and replace it without anyone knowing.  This then leads them to want to expose Carter and recover other priceless things he has stolen over the years.  But Carter isn't going to make it easy ... he now heads up a private security agency which employs trained killers who don't hesitate to do what they do best.

This is the second in the Fox and O'Hare series ... I hadn't read the first one, The Heist, but didn't need to as this book works as a stand alone.  I've read all of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.  Over the years they have gotten silly and mindless so it was good to read something of hers that has more substance.  This is the first that I've read of Goldberg's.

I liked this book and the story and it kept me interested.  There was a lot of action ... it was far-fetched at times so I had to leave my sense of belief at the door.  I liked the writing style and thought it flowed well.  It was humorous at times ... like when Nick's alias are from TV shows (Sonny Crockett, Jonathan Hart, Jethro Clampet, etc.) As a head's up, there is some swearing.

I liked Kate and Nick and enjoyed their interactions and banters.  The supporting characters were likeable too such as Jake (Kate's dad) and his sidekicks, Willie (the big-busted redneck), Joe (the computer geek) and Boyd (the actor who really gets into his roles).

I'd recommend this book.

1 comment:

Masshole Mommy said...

SOunds like a great read.